Vegan Donuts

This recipe is for a plain vegan donut, the starting point for the Vegan Coco Loco Donuts (this page) and Vegan Berry Donuts (this page). Our dairy- and egg-free donuts are made with ripe banana, which gives them a tender, cake-like texture. Simply dust these with powdered sugar or top as we do at the shop.

Makes 2 dozen donuts and 2 dozen donut holes

¼ cup solid vegetable shortening

1 cup sugar

1 large ripe banana, peeled and mashed

4 cups cake flour or all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling

1 teaspoon baking powder

1½ teaspoons salt

Scant ¾ cup almond milk

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 quarts (8 cups) vegetable oil

Make the Dough In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the shortening and sugar on medium-low speed until the mixture is crumbly, like coarse cornmeal, about 2 minutes. Add the mashed banana and mix on medium-low speed until the ingredients are combined, about 2 minutes.

Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, combine the almond milk, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the almond milk mixture to the banana mixture, mixing until combined and just smooth but not over-mixed, about 3 minutes. Transfer the dough to a floured surface, flour a rolling pin, and roll the dough until it’s ¾ inch thick.

Line two sheet pans with parchment paper and flour them generously.

Using a 3-inch donut cutter, stamp out donuts close together (so you don’t waste dough). If you don’t have a donut cutter, use a 1-inch cookie cutter to stamp out a small round of dough from the center of each donut. Transfer the big donuts and the small donut holes to the prepared sheet pans, about 1 inch apart.

Fry the Donuts If you are using a deep fryer, follow the manufacturer’s directions to heat the oil to 350°F. (Alternatively, attach a candy thermometer to a large deep heavy-bottomed pot, making sure the tip of the thermometer does not touch the bottom of the pot. Fill the pot with the oil and heat it slowly to 350°F over medium-low heat.) Once the oil reaches this temperature, try to maintain it. If it gets too hot, simply turn the heat down or off until it reduces to 350°F.

Carefully lower no more than 3 donuts at a time into the oil (if you overcrowd the oil with donuts, they’ll cool the oil and absorb it—making for greasy, sad donuts). Fry the donuts for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, gently turning them over with a spider strainer, until they are golden brown. Remove the cooked donuts with the spider strainer and set them on a cooling rack to drain. Let the oil rewarm to 350°F if necessary, then add a few more donuts to the pot. Repeat until all of the donuts are fried.

Follow these same frying instructions for the donut holes, adding up to 8 at a time and frying both sides until golden brown. Keep in mind that they will need a bit less time to fry than the donuts, due to their smaller size. Remove the cooked donut holes with the spider strainer and drain them on a cooling rack. Serve immediately or within 4 hours (see Trejo’s Tip, this page).

Vegan Berry Donuts

They say you eat with your eyes, and this pink beauty is as delicious as it looks. If you can’t find blueberry juice, feel free to substitute grape juice.

Vegan Berry Glaze

4 cups confectioners’ sugar

2 teaspoons Lyle’s Golden Syrup (see Trejo’s Tip, this page), light corn syrup, or honey

½ cup berry jam (mixed berry or raspberry)

¼ cup blueberry juice

¼ cup unsweetened almond milk

1 recipe fried Vegan Donuts (this page), still hot, placed on wire racks

Make the Glaze Combine the confectioners’ sugar, golden syrup, berry jam, blueberry juice, and almond milk in a large bowl, whisking until completely smooth.

Glaze the donuts Using a rubber spatula, spread the glaze over the top half of the donuts and allow the glaze to set up, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately or within 4 hours (see Trejo’s Tip, this page).

Vegan Coco Loco Donuts

This vegan donut gets a double hit of coconut flavor from the sweet Coco Lopez glaze and a toasted coconut topping.

Coco Loco Glaze

2½ cups confectioners’ sugar

Scant ½ cup Coco Lopez coconut cream (mix well before measuring)

1½ teaspoons Lyle’s Golden Syrup (see Trejo’s Tip, this page), light corn syrup, or honey

Toasted Coconut Topping

1½ cups shredded unsweetened coconut

Combine the confectioners’ sugar, coconut cream, golden syrup, and 1½ tablespoons water in a large bowl and whisk until completely smooth.

Make the Topping Place the coconut in a large skillet and cook it over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the flakes are mostly golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer the coconut to a large plate and let it cool completely.

Using a rubber spatula, spread the glaze over the top half of the donuts. Sprinkle the donuts with the toasted coconut topping and allow the glaze to set up, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately or within 4 hours (see Trejo’s Tip, this page).